Improvement in baileoad-spikes



l MORRISON FOSTER, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

Leim Paten: No. 72,276, ma ommen- 17, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-SPIRES.

`TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

1 Be it known thatd',f MORRISON FOSTER, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga, und Stute of Ohio, have invent-ed :t new und useful Improvement in Railroad-Spikes; und I do hereby declare the following to be n full, clear, and exact description of the some, reference being lied to the accompanying drawings, making u part of this specicution, in whieh- Figure l represents u side view, end Eigure 2 a rear v iewof one of the spikes in question. In the use of railroad-spikes as st present constructed, the workmen cannot tell exactly when to stop. driving, and the last one or tivo blows are apt to bring the under sideof the head in sudden contact with the unyield`A ingiron rail, :md cause an'immedia'te fracture in the corner of the head, or so wenken or strain the spikeat that point, es that a. very little -additionul jar or strain will bend theheud upward und backward and break oii.

'The rain also settles in the h ole made bythe spike around its upper portion, und causes the cross-tie to rot and,

loosen the spike.

My'invention consists in making a. projection or shoulder behind-.tbe heed of the spike, but as a. continua tion of seid heed, und nt a, point slightly below the level of the under side ofthe flange ofthe ruil whenfthe spiko is in 'its place, so that in driving the spike, this shoulder comes in contact with the cross-tie, s little before the under side of the hook of the headrcuc'lxesthe top of the flange of the ruil, edmonishing the workman to strike lightly, and cushioning oli` the stroke of the iinal blows,'and thus obviatinglthe liability of fracture et orvunder the hook or head of the spike. The :shoulder also prevents the head from bending upward and outward from the rail, and thus strengthens the head and neck of the spike, so that: 'they cannot as easily be broken oi, as in the present spike in use. I have also as auxiliary to the shoulder, behind the head of the spike, added shoulders etthe sides thereof, which lutter, together with the shoulder at `the rearyshed of the rain or other water, and prevent it from settling into the hole around the spike, und rotting the cross-tie.

My invention further consists in curving the shank of the spike backward from a point sboutrnii'dn'ay of its length, down to the'point of the spike, for the purpose of'ceusing the spike to hug the rail closely when driven into the cross-tie. v

'To enable others skilled in the srt to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the. drawings.

A represents the head of the spike, B its shank, and'C the point thereof. v. At n, distance below the under side a oi' the hook of the spike,'and equnlto or e little greater than the thickness of the ang'e'of the ruil with which it is to be used, and on the reiir side of the head (calling that the rear side which is most remote from the ilunge of the rail) of the spike, I make a shoulder, b, which when the spike is driven into the cross-tie shall eome'incontuct with the wood, a, littlebcfore the hook haspits full hold or strain upon the Beings of the rail. Thelshoulder thus coming in contact with the wood -or gross-tie, is a guide for the workmen to ease his blows upon the head of the spike, und the wood cushions the blow when the spike and rail come together metalto metal. This shoulder b serves also as s. brace or support against the upward and backward rising of the vsprte-heed, und performs another funeti'onthat will bereferred tohereofter. On the sides of the spike, and on a line with the shoulder b et its rear, I form shoulders e c, which are auxiliary to the shoulder for its special purpose, and moreover, in connection with the shoulder b, cover the hole in the cross-tie mode byv driving the spike, and shed od' the rain o r water, und thus prevent the wood from saturation and decay aroundthe spike, which would loosen it. The shank B of the spike from n. point about-midwsyeof its length, (say the point d,) is curved backward, and the opposite side sloped oii` from the point c or thereubouts, to form the point e of the spike. The curving of the shank of the spike causes its upper -portion to hug the flange of the ruik-or rather its eige, as the spike is driven into the cross-tie.

These spikes may be mede in umuchiue constructed for the purpose, es there is nothing in their shape or form that would prevent themifrombeing'headed, shouldered, curved, and pointed, and then delivered from the dies or jews in which they are sol wrought. i

The shoulders described muy (with great advantage over the old spike) lbe located simply on n. lino with the bottom of the iron rail, (when the spike is in plece,) without extending below that level, und will, even mede in that manner, strengthen the head and neck ofthe spike, and save the head from being bent backward, upward, or outward by the contortions bf ther-ail and eross-tie, caused by trains passing over them, or fron) other causes. Or for shedding ofi' the rain or other water, the shoulders may be made to extend just down to the sill or crosstie, or barely so for.

Hoving thus .fully describedv my, invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is l Incombination with hook-headed railroad-spikes, the so enlarging of the houd, and continu-ing it, as that there will be formed, in conjunction with the head, u shoulder nt the rear ofthe spike, on q line below the under side of the hook of'the spike, so that said shoulder. shall come in contact with the wood into which the spike is driven a little before the hook comes in metal contact with the flange of the rail it is to hold, and thus prevent any liability to fracture or over-strain the head of the spike, substantially as described.

I also claim, in combination with the shoulder at the rear ot' the spike, when formed with a continuation of the head, and located with regard to the under side ofthe hook, as above described, the shoulders at the sides of the spike and on a line with the shoulder l, and auxiliary thereto, for the purpose of shedding the rain or other water fromthe hole piado by driving in the spike,and thus preventing the rotting of the cross-tic, and consequent loosening of the spike, substantially as described.

I also claim curving the lower portonof the shank of the spike backward, in combination with the rear inclination, to form the point, for the purpose of causing' it to hug the edge of the flange of the rail as it is driven in alongside of it,4 substantially as described.

MORRISON FOSTER.

Witnesses:

` J. D. CLARY,

DANIEL STEPHAN. 

